News: First three TEL stations to open in late-January

Sep 20, 2019

At 43km long, it will be the sixth MRT line in Singapore. It will have 32 stations, eight of which are interchange stations, connecting neighbourhoods like Marine Parade, Thomson, Bedok and Toa Payoh to the Central Business District.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced that the first stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will begin service in late January next year, just before the Chinese New Year, reported The New Paper.

A few days of free travel will be offered to passengers before the opening so they can familiarise themselves with the connection to the North-South Line as well as the new Woodlands South, Woodlands North and Woodlands stations.

“TEL’s construction started in 2013, when the transport minister was Mr Lui Tuck Yew. When completed around 2024… it will be different transport minister. I will be using it as a passenger,” Khaw said.

At 43km long, it will be the sixth MRT line in Singapore. It will have 32 stations, eight of which are interchange stations.

The line will connect neighbourhoods such as Marine Parade, Thomson, Bedok and Toa Payoh to the Central Business District.

Khaw believes the TEL “will make our rail network more interconnected and resilient.”

The new line is being built and opened in stages.

“This way, commuters can benefit sooner – they need not wait for the entire line to be done first,” Khaw noted.

In fact, nine trains for Stage 1 are now being tested and commissioned at the Mandai Depot.

Full testing of the whole system will be done in the December school holidays.

Khaw noted that in 2013, then transport minister Lui pledged to bring 80 percent of households within a 10-minute walk of a train station come 2030.

“We are now at 64 percent. I am confident this 2030 target can be achieved,” he said.

“The TEL is an example of how we plan long term and invest in infrastructure for future generations. Even as I speak, we have already started work for our seventh line – the Jurong Region Line – and the eighth – the Cross Island Line.”

Victor Kang, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email victorkang@propertyguru.com.sg